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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24466165">The One That Got Away</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanoutlaw/pseuds/justanoutlaw'>justanoutlaw</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Once Upon a Time (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Character Death, Exes, F/M, Teen Romance</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 01:28:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,910</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24466165</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanoutlaw/pseuds/justanoutlaw</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Regina returns to town to say goodbye.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Evil Queen | Regina Mills/Robin Hood</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The One That Got Away</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Anonymous on CuriousCat prompted: OQ+ The One That Got Away by KP.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>Used to steal your parents' liquor and climb to the roof</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Talk about our future like we had a clue</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Never planned that one day I'd be losing you</em>
</p><p>
  <em>In another life</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I would be your girl</em>
</p><p>
  <em>We'd keep all our promises</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Be us against the world</em>
</p><p>
  <em>In another life</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I would make you stay</em>
</p><p>
  <em>So I don't have to say</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You were the one that got away</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The one that got away-Katy Perry</em>
</p><p>The leather seats stick to her thighs as the new car smell waivers up into her nostrils. She doesn't know how rental car companies pull it off, where they find the exact same scents across the country. Regina has traveled so much for work in the past six years, she should probably invest stock in Enterprise.</p><p>This isn't for work.</p><p>She's in autopilot as she drives down Main Street. She walked the sidewalk long before her first car, a black Cadillac from her father. Their house was only 15 minutes on foot from the center of town and she'd go with her friends to get milkshakes from Granny's, window shop at Glass Slipper's and dream of dresses they assumed they'd never be able to afford.</p><p>Main Street was where she had met him.</p><p>
  <em>8th grade. Cora had dropped her off in front of Granny's and he stood out from the group. Dark blonde hair, bright blue eyes and a smile that made her knees weak. She could still see his green sweatshirt and khaki shorts, even though it was November.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Regina," Belle spoke up. "This is my new neighbor, Robin. I invited him to hang out with us."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hi," he said, revealing an English accent.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Regina grinned. "I take it you didn't move from New York or something?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>His smile widened, revealing two dimples imprinted on his cheeks. "No, London. My father got a job offer."</em>
</p><p>They hit it off from the beginning. He sat next to her in the diner, laughing at all her jokes. They debated literature and music, and she could see his smile widening the more passionate she became. At that moment, she knew they were going to be best friends.</p><p>She pulls her rented BMW in front of the mansion on Mifflin Street. Getting out of the car, she looks at her white childhood home with the red door. She rarely makes it home anymore and somehow it's still the same. Her eyes focus on the porch, biting her lip as she thinks back to that beautiful summer night before sophomore year.</p><p>
  <em>They were two sheets to the wind. Will had made sure of that. Robin's arm was nestled over her shoulder as they stumbled up the steps and she giggled, putting a finger over his lips.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We can't wake my parents," she loudly whispered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Then why are you being loud?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"'Cause if my mother caught me maybe then she'd see her imperfect daughter."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"She may see that with your Jose Cuervo hangover tomorrow," Robin pointed out.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She smiled. The warm Maine air embraced them as cicadas buzzed in the background. As she leaned in for a kiss, she could taste the whiskey on his lips. It wasn't the perfect first kiss she had been working up the courage for, for two years, but it was what they had.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>When they pulled apart, he took hold of her hand. "You gonna want to do that when your sober?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Of course I will," she vowed.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She leaned in for another kiss, just as the red door opened.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Regina Marie Mills!"</em>
</p><p>"Hi mija," Henry greets her as she rolls her Dolce &amp; Gabbana carry on through the door.</p><p>"Hola Daddy," Regina mutters, before wrapping him in a big hug. Cinnamon, cumin and other various spices came off of him and up into her. That's so familiar, that was home.</p><p>"Where's my namesake?"</p><p>She weakly smiles, pulling away. "Figured he didn't need to be here for this. I had him stay with Mallory."</p><p>"That may be for the best. Your mother sends her love, but she can't get out of her meetings in New York."</p><p>Regina nods. That's another thing that's for the best. She doesn't need Cora here this weekend.</p><p>"What time is the wake tonight?" Henry asks.</p><p>"7, at Aesop's. Services are tomorrow at 9 AM."</p><p>"We should leave by 6:45."</p><p>"Let me just freshen up."</p><p>Henry allows her to head up the stairs to her childhood bedroom. She expects it to be a sewing room or a home gym, maybe a second office for her mother. Instead, she's surprised to find it hasn't changed since she was 18 years old. The walls are royal purple with posters of Mario Lopez and Stanford's campus. Her bookshelf is packed to the brim with Sylvia Plath and Emily Bronte. Regina drops her bag and heads to her vanity. Several pictures are littered about, from her with her parents on some random holiday to her, Mary Margaret and Ruby dressed as the Spice Girls for Halloween their senior year. And then there's her and Robin on their graduation day. A candid shot, taken by her father. Robin is holding her up, her forehead is snuggled against his own. The smiles on their faces are enough to light up a room.</p><p>"<em>You have to go, Regina," he told her.</em></p><p>
  <em>"I don't want to," she whined.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He cocked an eyebrow. "Are you whining?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Regina sighed. "Okay, I am. But only because I don't want to."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes, you do. Stanford has been your dream for years."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"But you're not going."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>It was a conversation they had for over a year, one they ignored from the start of it. Regina had planned on going to the California university since she was a little girl. Robin has always known that college wasn't for him and therefore, would be staying behind in Storybrooke. He had gotten a job with Dreamy Construction and started the week after he left. They planned to make long distance work. They could call, write letters and Regina would be home for as many breaks as possible.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But as young as she was, Regina wasn't naïve. She knew the odds of a high school romance lasting with each part being on a separate coast. She didn't want them to be a statistic.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No," he said. "I'm not. But we can still make it work, no matter what life throws at us."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He took her hands into his and kisses them.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"We will always find a way to make us work, Regina, I promise. I am so proud of you for getting into Stanford. Now go out there and kick ass."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She let out a laugh choked with tears. "Robin, I…"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I know," he whispered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A horn blared from Cora's corvette, signaling her mother's impatience. Regina sighed and leaned in, giving him a final kiss.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Don't forget about me, Robin Locksley."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"It'd be impossible to forget you, Regina Mills."</em>
</p><p>Aesop's Tables is packed, not that she expected anything less on a night like tonight. The normally mellow option for bars in this town (The Rabbit Hole is for frat boys and drug dealers), is standing room only with the line for a drink nearly to the door. Regina is glad she convinced her father they should eat before they arrived.</p><p>She goes to hold onto her father's arm, only to watch him make a bee line for the "elder" table. Bea Lucas, Ruth Nolan and Marco Booth have saved him a seat. She half-smiles and nods in approval, knowing he has his friends.</p><p>Regina scans the bar for a familiar face, but is suddenly recognition blind. She's gone to school with half these people, but it's been nearly 15 years. Who's going to remember the kid they sat next to in Math class junior year?</p><p>"Regina?"</p><p>She turns to find herself face to face with Mary Margaret Blanchard. She's cut her hair since she's last saw her. Her once curly dark hair is now a pixie cut. Her dark dress forms to show a bump, accented by a bow wrapped around it.</p><p>"Mary Margaret." Regina leans in for a hug. "Wow, long time no see."</p><p>"I'll say. You look great."</p><p>Regina feels self conscious, suddenly. She debated what to wear, what was appropriate. After awhile, she landed on black slacks and a maroon peasant top. Mary Margaret pulls apart, smiling.</p><p>"You too," Regina says, eyeing her stomach.</p><p>Mary Margaret laughs. "Oh, this, yeah. Got another one at home with a sitter. She's 3, Emma."</p><p>Regina remembers seeing that on Facebook. "That's great, congratulations."</p><p>"Yeah, I ended up marrying David Nolan."</p><p>No surprise there. Those two were joined at the hip in high school. "Awesome."</p><p>"I saw you're a mommy now too. Is your son here?"</p><p>"No, he's back in California, with a friend."</p><p>"Oh, well I'd love to meet him one day."</p><p>There's a pause in the conversation, with other louder ones taking over amongst the Queen album. "Yeah, I've never brought him to Storybrooke."</p><p>Mary Margaret nods. "I understand."</p><p>A louder voice breaks through. "Well look who it is." Ruby's wearing a skin tight black dress, a long red streak in her equally long hair. "Regina Mills!" She kisses each of her cheeks. "Will owes me twenty dollars."</p><p>"You and Will bet on her showing up?" Mary Margaret asks in disgust.</p><p>"Relax, Mare. It's not that serious." She looks back at Regina. "So, what have you been up to?"</p><p>"Oh, well, I work for an ad agency in California," Regina explains. "I have a son now, Henry. He's 10. Single mom and all that." She pulls out her phone to show a picture on her lock screen.</p><p>"He's a cutie," Ruby sips the drink in her hand. "You never call, never write. But I knew you'd show up for this."</p><p>"Yes, well…" Regina looks away. "Um, where's his wife?"</p><p>"You really have been gone long."</p><p>Regina looks back at her high school friends. "Huh?"</p><p>"Marian passed 3 years ago," Mary Margaret explains, quietly. "Breast cancer."</p><p>"So…their son…"</p><p>"He's been staying with Robin's friend, John. He helped Robin open his own company. Everyone thinks John and Patinka will probably adopt Roland."</p><p>Regina slowly nods. "I'm gonna um….I'm gonna go mingle."</p><p>"Of course. David and I will save you a seat at the church tomorrow."</p><p>Regina walks through the bar, heading to the back. Robin's face is blown up on the wall, in a way she's never seen him. She supposes it has been 11 years, but it's still amazing how much one could change. Scruff lines his face, wrinkles encroach his eyes. Those dimples still remain.</p><p>She picks up one of the pamphlets that have the same picture. He's wearing a green T-shirt, how great he looked in green. In the background is a sign that read "Merry Men Construction". The top of the pamphlet let's her knows the purpose of this event.</p><p>Celebrating Robin Hayes Locksley.</p><p>Inside show baby pictures she never saw and she wonders where they got access. Robin's mom died a year after they moved to America and his dad passed while she was at Stanford. It goes to ones of how she knew him, young, teenager. She sees pictures of him with Belle, Mary Margaret and Ruby, but none with her, and she understands. There's the years she went to Stanford and he worked for Leroy at Dreamer's. He hated that job, but it inspired him apparently to open the Merry Men.</p><p>At one point, a woman with olive skin and dark curls enters the pictures. There's a wedding photograph outside city hall and she feels a pang in her stomach, when she shouldn't.</p><p>And the photos of him with a little boy. One that looks mostly like the woman, but with his smile and most importantly, those dimples.</p><p>Roland, the obituary informs her. His name is Roland John Locksley and he is now an orphan. His mother, Marian, passed a few years earlier just as Mary Margaret reported. Regina wasn't there to help Robin. He wouldn't have wanted her anyhow.</p><p>She thinks of Henry and how she's all he has. What would happen to him if she died?</p><p>The obituary also tells her that he opened Merry Men Construction with his "best friend" John when he was 28 years old. They were a vital part of the community, beloved. He'll be missed, according to the obit.</p><p>Regina barely knows this John. Robin met him while working for Leroy and they bonded. When Regina came back for Christmas her senior year, they had dinner and he was nice enough but they didn't have enough in common.</p><p>She knows this could've been her life. She could've been Mrs. Merry Men Construction. She'd be in the pictures with Robin, John and the rest. Mary Margaret and Ruby wouldn't be practical strangers to her.</p><p>But she had said no.</p><p>Robin had surprised her by saving up and flying out to her Stanford graduation. She hadn't expected him to afford it but was so over the moon that he could. Seeing him in the audience beside her parents made the past four years of long distance worth it.</p><p>They had gone out to dinner with her parents, Mal, Carla and Ursula. He was a good sport about all of it, eating sushi he hated and laughing at her father's bad jokes.</p><p>Afterwards, her parents went back to their hotel and they went to her apartment. They made love and had ice cream in bed. As she started to pack up the boxes, he got down on one knee and proposed.</p><p>And that's when she told him about the job offer of a lifetime. Gold &amp; Hopper's wanted to give her a paid internship. She'd probably just be getting donuts and coffee, but there was a chance she could share some of her ideas. She couldn't pass up working for them. It wasn't like she didn't want him to come, Robin could move to California. There was construction work there too or he could get another job.</p><p>But he argued that he didn't want that. Storybrooke was home. He and John were doing well, they had plans. He couldn't just drop it all for California. He didn't ask her to give up her job, but made it clear he wasn't going to quit his either.</p><p>"We already did 4 years of long distance," he told her. "I can't do it again."</p><p>She tried to come up with compromises, but in the end, there were none. His life was going one way, hers was another.</p><p>He flew back to Storybrooke the next day and she had never seen him again. She started working for Gold and Hopper two weeks later, and was now on track to be Vice President.</p><p>They both got their dreams.</p><p>The next day, Regina sat in between Mary Margaret and her father as a reverend talked about the circle of life. Rows ahead, a little boy in a suit two sizes too big stared with big brown eyes at the casket. He had lost both parents, just like his father had. John and a blonde woman (Patinka aka Tink according to Mary Margaret, John's fiance) planked him.</p><p>She wants to say something to them, but she's unsure what is appropriate. What Robin said to John about her. If she should even be there.</p><p>So, she sits near the back with her high school best friend and father, eyes also on the casket. It's closed, given the circumstances. Though, the Robin she knew would want that anyway.</p><p>The obituary tells her that Robin's death is a construction accident. Nail gun backfired and caused brain trauma, killing instantly. </p><p>Regina got the call from her dad at work. She thanked him, told her assistant she'd be back and then went into the bathroom where she had her breakdown. Ugly sobbing, a beat red face, sticky hair.</p><p>She had tried to keep herself composed since, but today is making it hard.</p><p>She stands in the back at the cemetery and watches as Roland places a flower on his father's coffin. Regina clasps her black glove clad hands together and closes her eyes.</p><p>
  <em>Robin steps back from his father's grave. "The only thing I can think of is that he's with Mom," he whispered.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Regina places a hand on his back. "Yes." She moves her hand up and down. "I told my professors that my grandfather died. They're letting me email my work for a week."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Regina, you don't…"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I want to take care of you, Robin. I'll always take care of you."</em>
</p><p>Everyone else is gone now. John and Tink took Roland to their car, announcing there will be another gathering for those interested at the bar. Mary Margaret and David followed with the crowd. Her father said that he would wait in the car, to take all the time that she needed.</p><p>Regina kneels before the grave. She finally drops the flower she had held in her hands all day.</p><p>"I guess we'll never know," she whispers.</p><p>She's got a life back in California. A son she loves more than life itself. Friends. A great job.</p><p>But she knows she's leaving apart of her here in Storybrooke. He took it with him when he left and she'll always wonder, what if one of them had broke.</p><p>"I love you," she says.</p><p>Pushing herself up, she heads out of the cemetery.</p><p>Sometimes, you don't get a second chance.</p>
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